:HAPIN  FAMILY  ASSOCIA' 
PUBLICATIONS. 


APPRECIATION  OF 

IALVIN  CHAPIN,  D.  D., 


OF  ROCKY  HILL,  CONN. 


BY 


THE  REV.  EDWIN  P.  PARKER,  D.  D., 

Of  (he  South  Congregational  Church, 
Hartford,   Conn. 


REV.  DR.  CALVIN  CHAPIN. 

From  a  portrait  in  possession  of  Arthur  Reed  Kimball, 
of  Waterbury,  Conn. 


CHAPIN    FAMILY    ASSOCIATION 
PUBLICATIONS. 


APPRECIATION    OF 

CALVIN  CHAPIN,  D.  D., 


OF  ROCKY  HILL,  CONN. 


BY 

THE  REV.  EDWIN  P.  PARKER,  D.  D., 

Of  the  South  Congregational  Church, 
Hartford,   Conn. 


PROVIDENCE: 

SNOW  &  FARNHAM  Co.,  PRINTERS, 
1908. 


OFFICERS   OF  THE  ASSOCIATION   FOR   THE  YEAR   BEGINNING 
MAY  1st,  1908,  ARE  AS  FOLLOWS  :— 

MR.  GILBERT  W.  CHAPIN,  Hartford,  Conn.,  .        .        President. 

MR.  MERRICK  W.  CHAPIN,  Hartford,  Conn.,  .        .        Sec. -Treasurer. 

MR.  TERRY  J.  CHAPIN,  Suffield,  Conn.,         .  .        .        Recorder. 
HON.  ARTHUR  B.  CHAPIN,  Holyoke,  Mass., 
DR.  WALTER  H.  CHAPIN,  Springfield,  Mass., 

MR.  WM.  H.  G.  CHAPIN,  Parkersburg,  W.  Va.,  .        .   j 

>•    Vice-  Presidents. 
REV.  CHARLES  B.  CHAPIN,  Rochester,  N.  Y., 

MR.  CHARLES  S.  BLAKE,  Hartford,  Conn., 

MR  FRANK  M.  CHAPIN,  Pine  Meadow,  Conn., 

\ 

Executive  Committee. 

MR.  FREDERICK  W.  CHAPIN,  .  .  Springfield,  Mass. 
MR.  HENRY  G.  CHAPIN,  .  .  .  Springfield,  Mass. 
MR.  WILLIAM  H.  CHAPIN,  .  .  .  Springfield,  Mass. 


A    PREFATORY    WORD. 


BEGINNING  on  Sunday,  September  twenty-one,  nine- 
*-*  teen  hundred  eight,  and  continuing  through  Tuesday, 
September  twenty-three,  the  old  town  of  Rocky  Hill,  Conn., 
celebrated  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Meeting  House  with  an  Old  Home  week.  Two  special 
gifts  marked  the  celebration.  One  was  the  completion  of  the 
Chapin  Memorial  Parsonage,  which  stands  on  the  crest  of  the 
hill,  west  of  the  church,  on  what  is  known  as  Chapin  Street, 
and  on  land  originally  owned  by  Calvin  Chapin,  D.  D.,  for 
fifty-six  years,  from  seventeen  ninety-six  to  eighteen-fifty-two, 
pastor  of  the  church.  The  other  gift  was  that  of  an  organ 
for  the  church,  which  has  just  completed  its  century.  In 
connection  with  the  celebration,  the  Rev.  Edwin  P.  Parker, 
D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  South  Congregational  Church  in  Hart- 
ford, was  invited  to  speak  a  word  of  appreciation  of  Dr.  Calvin 
Chapin,  a  word  so  perfectly  spoken  as  to  deserve  perpetuation 
beyond  passing  publication  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day. 
For  that  reason,  the  privilege  of  issuing  this  little  brochure  in 
the  series  of  Chapin  Family  Association  Publications,  has 
been  sought  by  and  given  to  a  great-grandson  of  Dr.  Chapin, 
Arthur  Reed  Kimball  of  Waterbury,  Conn. 


2073945 


LIST    OF    PLATES. 


OPPOSITE  p. 

I.     Rev.  Dr.  Calvin  Chapin  .         .  Frontispiece 

From  a  portrait  in  possession  of  Arthur  Reed  Kimball 
of  Waterbury,  Conn. 

II.     Rocky  Hill  Congregational  Meeting-House      .  7 

Dedicated  September  22,  1808. 

III.  The  Old    Home   of    Calvin   Chapin,  D.  D.,  of 

Rocky  Hill 9 

Now  the  residence  of  H.  H.  Humphrey. 

IV.  Chapin  Memorial  Parsonage    .         .         .         .          1 1 

Built  igo8. 


ROCKY  HILL  CONGREGATIONAL  MEETING  HOUSE. 

Dedicated,  September  22,  1808. 


REV.  DR.  EDWIN  P.  PARKER,  pastor  of  the  South 
Congregational  Church  in  Hartford,  gave  the  following 
address  on  Rev.  Dr.  Calvin  Chapin : 

"  Shortly  after  I  came  to  live  in  Hartford,  in  the  year  1860, 
some  kind  of  ecclesiastical  meeting  called  me  to  Rocky  Hill 
and  its  meeting  house.  Not  quite  nine  years  before  that  Dr. 
Chapin  had  ceased  from  his  labors  in  that  parish.  I  found 
the  place  thronged  with  memories  of  the  former  pastor.  His 
personal  atmosphere  pervaded  the  town.  His  spirit  seemed 
to  linger  on  the  premises.  I  became  aware  that  a  remarka- 
ble man  had  lived  and  labored  there,  about  whom  I  desired  to 
know  more  and  more.  The  more  I  inquired  concerning  him, 
the  more  I  felt  as  they  did  who  would  end  anecdotes  about 
him  by  saying,  "  Oh,  you  ought  to  have  known  Dr.  Chapin  ! " 
As  if  there  had  never  been  in  all  these  parts  another  like 
him,  as,  indeed,  is  true.  There  was  little  difficulty  in  becom- 
ing acquainted  with  his  characteristic  traits  and  qualities. 
Dr.  Hawes,  then  in  vigorous  health,  had  known  him  intimately 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  Deacon  Seth  Terry  had  known 
him  longer  than  that,  and  there  were  many  clergymen  and 
laymen  who  were  familiar  with  his  remarkable  doings  and 
sayings.  Therefore,  I  feel  competent  to  speak  of  him  as 
almost  from  acquaintance  or  recollection. 

"He  came  of  excellent  stock.  He,  Calvin  Chapin,  descend- 
ant of  the  fifth  generation  of  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  who 
came  from  England  or  Wales,  was  the  fourth  of  six  sons  of 
Deacon  Edward  Chapin,  a  farmer  of  Chicopee  Parish,  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  and  grandson  of  another  Deacon  Chapin 
of  that  same  parish.  His  mother  was  Eunice  Colton  of 
Longmeadow.  He  was  born  July  22,  1763.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  years  he  served  for  six  months  as  a  fifer  in  a  militia 
company  of  the  Revolution.  He  prepared  for  college  under 
the  instruction  of  Dr.  Backus  of  Somers,  Connecticut,  entered 


8  CHAPIN    FAMILY 

Yale  College  in  1784  and  was  graduated  with  honor  in  due 
season.  After  spending  two  years  as  a  highly  successful 
teacher  in  Hartford  and  there  decided  to  become  a  gospel 
minister,  studied  theology  with  Dr.  Perkins  of  West  Hartford 
for  six  months,  and  was  there  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Hart- 
ford North  Association.  Meanwhile,  in  September  1791,  he 
had  been  elected  tutor  at  Yale  College,  and  entered  on  that 
office  that  autumn.  Dr.  Stiles  was  then  president  of  the  col- 
lege, and  numerous  entries  in  his  diary  mention  Tutor  Chapin, 
and  show  a  high  appreciation  both  of  his  tutorial  work  and  of 
his  ability  and  success  as  a  preacher.  In  1794  he  resigned 
his  office  at  Yale,  accepted  a  call  of  the  church  in  Stepney 
Parish  of  Wethersfield,  now  Rocky  Hill,  and  was  ordained  as 
pastor  of  that  church  composed  of  twenty-seven  members, 
April  30,  1794,  with  an  annual  salary  of  $333,  which  contin- 
ued the  same  to  the  end  of  his  long  pastorate.  The  ordaining 
council  comprised  twenty-four  pastors  and  delegates  of  neigh- 
boring churches,  not  one  of  whom  survived  him. 

"  He  married,  February  2,  1795,  Jerusha,  younger  daughter 
of  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  sister  of  Jonathan  W.  Edwards, 
with  whom  he  lived  in  closest,  sweetest  intimacy  for  fifty-two 
years,  and  of  whom  he  said,  "  She  made  my  home  the  pleas- 
antest  spot  to  me  on  earth."  His  entire  ministerial  life  was 
spent,  as  has  been  said,  in  Rocky  Hill,  and  that  means  that 
he  was  an  acceptable  preacher  and  a  faithful  pastor.  Much 
more  than  most  ministers  of  his  time,  he  was  a  scholarly  man, 
fond  of  classical  and  mathematical  studies. 

"  Such  a  light  must  needs  shine  out  far  beyond  the  bounds 
of  his  parish.  His  influence  in  behalf  of  all  good  causes  was 
widely  exerted.  He  was  not  an  orator,  but  much  better  than 
that.  He  employed  his  time  and  expended  his  energies  with 
more  beneficent  results  to  society,  than  most  of  the  theologians 
whose  work  did  not  seem  of  much  interest  to  him.  He  wore 
without  fret  the  theological  and  ecclesiastical  harness  then  in 
vogue,  but  concerned  and  engaged  himself  with  matters  more 
closely  pertaining  to  social  progress  and  improvement.  Few 


ASSOCIATION    PUBLICATIONS.  9 

of  his  works  were  printed  or  published  except  as  they  were 
printed  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  contemporaries,  and 
published  as  by  translation  into  social  life  and  public  sentiment. 
He  was  one  of  Connecticut's  great  ministers  few  of  them 
greater  or  more  useful  in  the  world,  none  of  them  sounder  in 
judgment  and  practical  wisdom,  more  kindly  and  lovable. 
From  1805  to  1831  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Missionary  Society 
of  Connecticut,  and  intimately  associated  in  the  work  of  that 
society  with  my  own  predecessor,  Dr.  Abel  Flint,  who  from 
1798  to  1824  was  secretary  of  the  same  society.  They  were 
also  associated  in  organizing  and  managing  the  Connecticut 
Bible  Society  (1809).  Dr.  Chapin  was  one  of  the  five  men 
who  in  1810  projected  and  organized  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  was  chosen  its  Recording 
Secretary,  which  office  he  held  for  thirty-two  years.  He  was 
active  in  forming  and  fostering  a  Connecticut  Society  for  the 
promotion  of  Good  Morals  (1813),  became  one  of  the  Board 
of  Visitors  of  Andover  Seminary  (1816)  and  served  as  clerk 
of  that  Board  until  he  was  seventy  years  old.  He  received 
from  Union  College  in  1816  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  From  1820  to  1846  he  was  a  member  of  the  cor- 
poration of  Yale  College,  and  all  that  while,  except  one  year, 
a  member  of  its  Prudential  Committee. 

"About  the  year  1806  serious  difficulties  had  arisen  among 
the  missionaries  employed  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  Con- 
necticut, in  northern  Ohio.  The  trustees  gravely  considered 
who  of  their  number  would  best  serve  to  deal  with  the  delicate 
complications  of  the  case.  Dr.  Chapin,  though  the  youngest 
member  of  the  Board,  was  selected  for  the  service,  and  per- 
formed it  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  brethren,  and  to  the 
great  enlargement  of  the  Society's  operations  and  usefulness. 
He  was  an  anti-slavery  man.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest, 
most  persistent  and  efficient  promoters  of  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance. As  early  as  1812  he  took  his  stand  for  total  absti- 
nence, and  maintained  it  to  the  end,  and  lived  to  see  wonder- 
ful results  of  his  unpopular  labors.  (He  even  succeeded  for 


IO  CHAPIN    FAMILY 

a  time  in  having  his  church  disuse  wine  at  the  Holy  Com- 
munion.) It  is  authentically  related  that  he  experienced 
some  disadvantage  from  his  zeal  in  this  matter.  In  the  early 
years  of  the  iQth  century  Rocky  Hill  was  somewhat  celebra- 
ted for  the  quantity  and  quality  of  its  cider.  There  was  none 
better  in  the  parish  than  that  made  by  Dr.  Chapin.  His  very 
best  was  produced  by  exposing  barrels  of  cider  to  the  extreme 
cold  of  winter.  These  would  freeze  considerably,  and  the 
precious  part  of  the  fluid  was  then  obtained  by  boring  through 
the  frozen  shell.  It  required  three  barrels  of  the  original 
cider  to  make  one  barrel  of  this  superior  liquor,  which,  of 
course,  was  rather  potent  stuff.  It  was  stored  away  in  casks. 

"  Well !  Dr.  Chapin's  parishioners  had  been  accustomed  to 
assemble  each  spring  to  give  him  a  lift  in  cutting  his  firewood, 
and  the  Doctor,  on  such  occasions,  would  produce  pails  of 
this  precious  cider  for  their  refreshment,  which  made  the 
gatherings  very  popular  and  pleasant.  But  when  he  ceased 
from  cider-making  and  the  cider  itself  was  no  longer  forth- 
coming, the  people  began  to  lose  all  interest  in  the  parson's 
wood-pile,  and  soon  left  it  to  his  own  exertions. 

"  Dr.  Chapin  continued  to  discharge  his  pastoral  duties  with 
fidelity  until  November  1847,  when,  at  the  age  of  eighty -four 
years,  he  retired  from  active  duty.  Shortly  thereafter  his 
wife  died,  and  on  March  i6th,  1851,  in  the  88th  year  of  his 
life  and  the  57th  of  his  single  pastorate,  he  died  peacefully, 
while  sitting  in  his  accustomed  chair.  Some  years  before  his 
death  he  had  written  to  Dr.  Hawes  requesting  him  to  preach 
his  funeral  sermon,  suggesting  his  favorite  scriptural  verse  as 
a  text,  — "For  We  Shall  See  Him  as  He  Is."  Dr.  Hawes 
was  unable  to  attend  his  venerable  friend's  funeral,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Tucker  of  Wethersfield  preached  on  that  occasion.  I 
have  read  his  sermon  with  some  care.  It  is  rather  tame  but 
one  short  sentence  is  worth  all  the  rest,  and  more.  In  an 
inspired  moment  the  good  Mr.  Tucker  said  of  Dr.  Chapin, 
"  He  was  no  driveler  !  " 

"  But  Dr.  Hawes,  the  next  month  after  the  funeral,  and  on 


ASSOCIATION    PUBLICATIONS.  II 

the  5  7th  anniversary  of  Dr.  Chapin's  settlement,  did  preach 
a  sermon  in  loving  commemoration  of  the  grand  old  minister  ; 
preached  it  in  the  church  where  Dr.  Chapin  had  preached  so 
many  years  ;  a  notable  sermon,  in  Dr.  Hawes'  very  best  style  ; 
which  also  I  have  recently  read,  and  which  gives  a  lifelike 
portraiture  of  the  man  :  A  sermon  with  a  letter  written  some 
four  years  later  by  the  same  hand,  is  the  mine  from  which  al- 
most all  the  treasure  of  later  obituaries  of  Dr.  Chapin  have 
been  derived.  Dr.  Hawes  shows  us  the  tall,  erect,  well-pro- 
portional, vigorous  frame  of  the  man  ;  his  ever  cheerful  and 
buoyant  spirit ;  his  quick,  clear,  practical,  penetrative  mind  ; 
his  terse  style  of  writing ;  his  most  fascinating  conversation  ; 
his  rugged  simplicity,  honesty,  energy ;  his  unfailing  stead- 
fastness in  duty ;  and  then  adds  as  perhaps,  his  most  striking 
peculiarity,  "  His  exuberant  and  boundless  wit,  which  gave  a 
complexion  to  his  conversation  and  to  his  whole  character." 
Dr.  Chapin,  when  tutor  in  Yale  College,  had  for  a  pupil  him 
who  afterwards  was  famous  as  President  Day  of  the  same 
college.  He  also  wrote  reminiscently  of  Dr.  Chapin, 
mentioning  especially  "his  instructive  and  engaging  conver- 
sation, his  playful  humor  and  never  failing  cheerfulness  and 
vivacity,"  and  added,  "He  was  the  most  uniformly  happy 
man  I  have  ever  known."  What  a  beautiful  eulogy  that ! 
Happy  in  his  heritage,  happy  in  his  friends,  happy  in  his 
work,  happy  in  his  home,  happy  in  his  church,  happy  in  his 
undogmatic  and  simple  and  almost  natural  piety,  happy  in  his 
views  and  hopes,  happy  in  the  serenity  of  his  mind  and  in  the 
summer  sunshine  that  ever  seems  to  have  shed  its  blessings 
upon  his  heart  and  mind  ! 

"  Yes,  I  wish  I  might  have  known  him  who  seems  to  me, 
on  the  whole,  about  the  best -worth-knowing  of  all  the  minis- 
ters of  that  generation,  in  these  parts  ;  if  for  nothing  else, 
because  being  an  intelligent  and  wide-awake  minister,  he  had 
that  almost  priceless  gift  of  exuberant  wit  and  humor,  as 
natural  to  him  as  his  breath,  says  Dr.  Hawes,  who  also  says 
that  in  the  very  letter  wherein  Dr.  Chapin  solicited  the  favor 


12  CHAPIN    FAMILY 

of  a  funeral  sermon  for  himself,  that  same  wit  crept  in  to 
upset  even  Dr.  Hawes's  great  gravity.  "  Incurable  "  humor, 
says  Dr.  Hawes !  Thank  God,  incurable !  Wrought  into 
his  very  soul  and  spirit,  natural,  exuberant,  incurable  !  We 
wonder  if  death  impairs  it  and  hope  it  does  not !  That  wit 
and  humor,  so  thoroughly  domesticated  and  familiar  in  his 
parish  took  wings  and  flew  abroad  everywhither,  and  have 
ever  been  intimately  and  inseparably  associated  with  Dr. 
Chapin's  name,  without  in  the  least  derogating  from  his  real 
and  wholesome  sanctity. 

"  Somehow,  thanks  to  Dr.  Hawes  and  Dr.  Robbins  and 
many  others,  it  verily  does  seem  as  if  I  had  known  Dr.  Chapin, 
and  were  all  the  better  for  having  known  him,  and  if  these 
words  of  mine  shall  serve  to  bring  him  up  before  your  imagi- 
nation at  all  presentably,  and  make  you  feel  a  little  as  if  you 
too  had  known  him  —  if  not  after  the  flesh,  yet  after  the 
spirit  —  I  shall  be  abundantly  recompensed  for  my  slight 
labor  of  love  therein." 


